National Hockey League (NHL) - NHL training camps keep on rolling and further Russian players have been demoted. Goalkeeper Anton Khudobin (Minnesota Wild) will thus spend his third straight season in North America despite not getting any chance to showcase his talent in the NHL. Last year Khudobin played 17 matches for the Houston Aeros in the AHL. Also Andrei Plekhanov (Columbus Blue Jackets) will play his third North American season in the AHL as he has just been sent down to the Syracuse Crunch. After a good rookie season, Plekhanov suffered from a sophomore slump that limited him to 2 goals in the 08-09 season and thus he has to rebound back this year. Differently from the aforementioned players, Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) did play in the NHL last year (10 games), without impressing too much with only two points. While he has proven himself in the AHL, he needs to further polish his game in order to get more chances in the NHL, where he needs to play in a scoring line to be effective, but is yet to demonstrate that he's good enough for that.

National Hockey League (NHL) - As the Binghamton Senators wait to hear if their coach will return next season, Ottawa Senators assistant general manager Tim Murray is beginning to ponder personnel changes that will help the American Hockey League team to its first playoff berth in five seasons....Article also provides coverage of the Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) situation and prospects for the 2009-10 season. (by Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen) READ MORE

National Hockey League (NHL) - The Ottawa Senators would like to believe that centre Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) is going to be a productive NHL player. It looks like they could be right. In the 13 American Hockey League games he played before getting called up on Friday, Zubov had eight goals and 10 assists. That was good for seventh in AHL scoring. (Allen Panzeri, The Ottawa Citizen Published)
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Continental Hockey League (KHL) - Alexander Nikulin (Ottawa Senators) and Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) were part of the latest and likely last large group of seven players that Ottawa assigned to Binghamton earlier today. The young players were expected to compete for spots, but at the same time were also widely expected to be assigned to the AHL farm club and be the top call up players.

June and July 2008 have been two busy months for Russian prospects. Many skated in North Americans development camps, some have changed teams, being or not at the centre of a controversial move, others are “simply” training hard for the upcoming season.
Many players belong to the first group. As written earlier in our website, Dmitri Kosmachev (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Maxim Mayorov (Columbus Blue Jackets) skated with Columbus Blue Jackets, Maxim Goncharov (Phoenix Coyotes) and Viktor Tikhonov (Phoenix Coyotes) with the Phoenix Coyotes, Nikolai Lemtyugov (St. Louis Blues) with St. Louis, Igor Makarov (Chicago Blackhawks) with the Chicago Blackhawks, Ruslan Bashkirov (Ottawa Senators), Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) and Alexander Nikulin (Ottawa Senators) with Ottawa, Evgeni Grachev (New York Rangers) and Artem Anisimov (New York Rangers) with the New York Rangers, Semen Varlamov (Washington Capitals) and Nikita Kashirsky – a Russian player who spent the last seasons playing USA College hockey - in Washington, with Kugryshev in the stands, Fedor Fedorov (New Jersey Devils) with the New Jersey Devils, Nikolai Kulemin (Toronto Maple Leafs) with Toronto, Anton Khudobin (Minnesota Wild) with the Minnesota Wild, Vyacheslav Voinov (Los Angeles Kings) and Andrei Loktionov (Los Angeles Kings) with Los Angeles. The list might even grow as Montreal Canadiens are yet to release their rosters. (Exclusive article by Alessandro Seren Rosso for RussianProspects.com) READ MORE

OTTAWA – 2007 draftee Ruslan Bashkirov (Ottawa Senators) is skating with his NHL team in the annual Development Camp. After a rocky season that seen him jumping from Kristall Saratov to Khimik Mytischi and its farm team the talented winger has been drafted in the CHL import draft by OHL’s Petersburgh Petes. His presence in NA seems to be a sign of his will to report there. He seemed to please Ottawa’s staff with his above average puck skills and his good motivation. Alexander Nikulin (Ottawa Senators) and Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) also reported to camp, but thus far they reportedly looked out of shape.

Super League - According to Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen, Alexander Nikulin (Ottawa Senators) and Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) are first in line to being called up to Ottawa for the playoffs. Here is what the newspaper had to say: Centre Alexander Nikulin (Ottawa Senators) figures to get the first call. The scouting reports indicate he's one of Binghamton's top players. Where Nikulin would figure in Ottawa's lines is a question, but Murray would ideally have to have him here for several days before the start of the playoffs to give him a chance to feel comfortable. If Binghamton's season ends without a playoff berth, several other players will be recalled, including centre Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) and defenceman Lawrence Nycholat, who has just been named an AHL all-star.
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...Winger Nick Foligno and Russian centres Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) and Alexander Nikulin (Ottawa Senators) appear to be battling for two available forward spots in Ottawa. If centre Mike Fisher doesn’t return from his groin injury by the season opener, the equation changes again....(Canada.com article)
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After the disastrous Alexei Kaigorodov (Phoenix Coyotes) experiment of a year ago, the Ottawa Senators might have been excused for adopting a once burned, twice shy philosophy toward young Russian hockey prospects. Instead, the Senators are ecstatic at the training camp play of 20-year-old Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) and 22-year-old Alexander Nikulin (Ottawa Senators), who have arrived in North America with significantly less fanfare than Kaigorodov. (Canada.com article by Ken Warren)
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As we reported earlier, Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) signed a three year rookie deal with the NHL club. He is expected to arrive in North America towards the end of August and be present in time for the start of the training camp. The news was confirmed by Bryan Murray, the team’s general manager. Zubov signed with HC CSKA earlier this summer, but was released by the club amongst rumors that he was headed to North America.

We apologize for the inconvenience of the scouting reports being missing from Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators)'s and Konstantin Korneev (Montreal Canadiens)'s profiles. We are working to resolve the issue and we should have the scouting reports up and running by tomorrow. Please email us if you notice any other issues, as we can't fix them if we don't know about them! We appreciate all your help.

Reports have surfaced from Russia that the reason behind Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators)’s release has been his imminent move to North America. The young forward is expected to sign with the Ottawa Senators in the next couple of weeks and be present at the club’s training camp. Zubov would be the third Russian to move to North America this summer and join Ottawa’s system. The others include Alexander Nikulin (Ottawa Senators) and Dmitri Megalinsky (Ottawa Senators), with the latter’s move still not confirmed, though widely expected.

Russian Super League - Find out more about the changes that took place within last season's top four clubs in the Super League. Some such as Avangard Omsk and Metallurg Magnitogorsk have strived to stay on the same trek. Others, such as the league's favorite Ak Bars Kazan that is known for the high flying Morozov - Zinovjev - Zaripov line, coped with some significant changes. Finally CSKA has significantly strengthened the roster despite losing a couple of talented players. READ MORE

Russian Super League - Behind the spirited play and two goals from Sergei Mozyakin (Columbus Blue Jackets), HC Khimik managed to clip the most powerful Super League club on penalty shots. Forward Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) is finally coming into his own for HC Salavat Yulayev and just at the right time! The young forward scored the game winning overtime goal, and assisted on another tally to help his club take a series lead over HC CSKA. While the Denis Denisov (Buffalo Sabres)’s normally active canon has remained quiet throughout most of the 2006-07 season, the defenseman scored a much needed tally for his club in the win against HC Lokomotiv, pinning the Yaroslavl based club to the brink of elimination. READ MORE

Russian Super League - A detailed recap of the game between two of the strongest Russian Super League clubs. The game featured Super League's top forward Alexei Morozov, as well as a number of young NHL prospects. READ MORE

Russian Super League - Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) suffered an arm injury in the match against Lada (Togliatti). The young center already missed one game against Evgeny Malkin’s former club HC Metallurg (Magnitogorsk). The young 88 born forward has consistently been in Khimik’s lineup and was one of the club’s valuable acquisitions after the collapse of the HC Spartak organization with which Zubov was still under contract for the 2006-07 season.

World Championships - The youngest member of Team Russia’s squad preparing for the World Championships in Latvia will miss the tournament due to injury. The talented young center underwent surgery for an injured elbow. The injury will have no long term effects, but will force the Ottawa Senators prospect to miss the tournament.

Russian Super League - All the young forward apparently needed was a little bit of rest. Yesterday, after getting a game off, Ilya Zubov (Ottawa Senators) scored his first Super League goal, tying the game up for Spartak (Moscow). The young forward crossed the blue line, wound up and released a mean slap shot that reached it’s destination in the back of the net right underneath the crossbar. Zubov started the game on Spartak’s fourth line with Ponomarev and Pavlov, but worked hard, scoring a goal and drawing two penalties, eventually working his way back to his usual third line. He was recognized as Spartak’s player of the game.

"He did not play well against Omsk. Even prior to that game I noticed that Zubov is not physically ready, but the player approached me himself, asking me to let him out on the ice. The only thing is, you can’t cheat nature. We will give him a bit of time to recover."

Russian Super League - A Ves Hokkei/Football (All of Hockey and Football) interview with Ottawa Senators prospect Ilya Zubov, Russia's top 1987 born forwards. The young forward made his Super League debut this summer with Spartak (Moscow) after leaving High League's Traktor (Chelyabinsk). During the interview he shares his impressions of the Super League, as well as his new club. READ MORE

Ilya Zubov (2005 NHL Entry Draft) signed a deal that will likely allow him to make the next step in his development. The young forward signed a multi year deal with the Super League’s (Russia 1) club Spartak (Moscow). Zubov will be one of two U20 players on the club’s roster and thus far has the upper hand on the club’s forwards, and most defensemen. He does face some challenges for the two spot in Spartak’s defensive corps, where two New Jersey Devils ’86 born prospects Klimov and Mikhailishin have seen Super League action last season. The two defensemen will likely continue to share the 7th blue line spot, while Zubov has a chance to earn a legitimate spot in the lineup. Zubov’s main competitor in Spartak’s own Kucheryavenko, who has seen action on the national team and will accompany Spartak to all the training camps and will also get an opportunity to debut in the Super League.

2005 NHL Entry Draft Update: Ilya Zubov and Denis Istomin have run into serious ice time problems in Chelyabinsk. The young forwards have hardly seen any ice time since the club cleaned house, replacing the former coach with Anatoli Bogdanov. The new head coach promptly benched the two Russian U18 national squad’s leaders, despite the two performing quite well prior to the February’s break in the regular season. The action will in no way have any positive impact on the careers of the young forwards, and may simply accelerate their departure from Chelyabinsk to one of the Super League clubs. With the High League playoffs looming, Istomin’s and Zubov’s situation is unlikely to improve.

2005 NHL ENTRY DRAFTRank 1: #1 Rank 2: #1 Rank 3: #1 Ranking Comments:Zubov is finally fullfilling the hefty expectations we put on his shoulders as the top Russian. Playing very well against professionals in the High League (Russia 2), he racked up 7 (4+3) points in last 8 games, after just 1 in first 8 games.Rank 4: #1

Talent Analysis:

Nov 2006 Update (U20 4 Nations Tournament – Czech Republic): A very good skater with good acceleration ... agile and creative player ... reliable in one-on-one situations ... good offensive instincts ... his hockey sense and vision make him very good playmaker ... reads the play well and has impressive stickhandling skills ... has a hard slap shot and very precise wrist shot ... likes to finish plays and score himself as well ... useful on power play ... not very useful defensively, though does put in an effort ... should mark his player better ... doesn’t play physical hockey, which is another area he needs to work on ... appeared to be a bit soft at this particular tournament, but otherwise was very effective at creating plays, though less effective point wise.Main Scouting Report:Skating: A very good skater with an impressive technique...above average top speed...smooth on the ice...very good stride. Technical Ability: A very technical player with soft hands...at times tends to overhandle the puck...very effective stick handler without the puck, especially in defensive situations. Shot: Posesses a laser of a wrist shot with a quick release and good power...loves to shoot the puck top shelf and is very good at it...good, strong slapshot, but needs to work on it’s accuracy...can effectively shoot the puck with a backhand...likes to shoot the puck Hockey Sense: Sees the ice very well and effectively uses his teammates...overhandles the puck. Not because he doesn’t see his linemates, but because he loves to play with it...very mature for his age and proved to be quite capable at the pro level during the 2003-04 season. Defensive Play: Posesses a solid defensive awareness...still hasn’t fully grown to take on the physical play, but posesses solid positioning and has the appropriate attitude regarding his defensive responsibilities. Physical Play: Hasn’t yet fully grown, or filled in his frame, so tends to struggle with the physical aspect of the game...tries hard, but isn’t yet very effective at it. Mental Game: A very coachible player, who listens carefully and executes instructions well...fits very well into any locker room. Faceoffs: Needs to further improve this aspect of his game....doesn’t quite have the mass or technique yet to be effective at the faceoff circle.
Additional Scouting Reports (2004 U18 World Cup):Scouting Evaluation 1: Ilya Zubov started the tournament off strong, but slowed down in the last few games, especially in the contest against Switzerland. He was able to showcase his solid skating and agility however. He also displayed very good puck handling, though the young center needs to learn not to over-handle the puck. Zubov has a great wrist shot, which brings his goal against Team USA to mind: he fired a laser beam of a wrist shot right under the crossbar. That tends to be one of his favorite shots – similarly to Alexei Kovalev; Zubov really likes to go high above the goalie with his shots. Defensively, the young forward was responsible and showed very good awareness. One of our scouts also added this about his ability on face-offs: " Average in the face-offs circle, and needs to further develop his face-off skills" . During the tournament, Zubov also suffered a bruised wrist, when an opposing player hit him hard with a stick on the hand. While the wrist was not broken, the bruised wrist may have hurt his effectiveness, especially his puck handling and shooting. Overall, Ilya Zubov was one of Russia’s top forwards, but finished the tournament a bit under our expectations. As a player who already had international experience on the ’86 squad last year and a center of Russia’s top line this year, Zubov needs to take on a more prominent position on the squad.
Scouting Evaluation 2: Zubov centered Russia's top line the entire tournament...scored a great goal against the Americans with a precise wrist shot under the cross bar...did not play all that well against the Swiss...started the tournament very hot, but cooled off in the last couple of games.
Scouting Evaluation 3: Zubov started the tournament very well. However, he slowed down towards the end of the tournament and did not show the activeness and aggressiveness he displayed early on. In the end Zubov was hampered by a hand injury. He was hit on the hand, but fortunately nothing was broken and he is fine now.

Back In Russia:

Ilya Zubov is from Chelyabinsk, Russia and has been raised in the Traktor hockey school 2006-07: Ilya Zubov was a victim of circumstances at the beginning of the 2006-07 season, as his club, HC Spartak collapsed financially and was forced to release all the players. As a result, Zubov ended up skating for HC Khimik, where he struggled to fit in under Petr Vorobiev’s defensive system. Half way through the season he was traded to HC Salavat Yulayev, where he fared much better. He finished the season strongly with an impressive playoff run and continued to be a consistent offensive contributor for his club team. His contract expired at the end of the 2006-07 season and he became a free agent. 2005-06: Ilya Zubov signed a two year deal with Spartak Moscow and while his salary was substantially lower than it could have been with a wealthier, bigger club, he enjoyed unprecedented success with Spartak due to his ice time and the club’s capable coaching staff. He also performed well for Russia’s U20 squad, earning silver medals there and being one of the squad’s scoring leaders. Additionally, he was one of the final cuts from Russia’s senior national team that competed at the 2006 World Championships. 2004-05: Ilya Zubov made his debut on the 87 born U18 squad, and currently centers the squad’s top line. The young forward continues to skate for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the High League (Russia 2). 2003-04: The young forward made his professional debut in Russia’s High League (Russia 2) during the 2003-04 season, when he became a regular in Traktor’s lineup. Zubov skated in most regular season games, enjoyed a lot of success and even led his club in +/-. An indicator of how important he was to his club was the large amount of ice time he received during the 2003-04 playoffs. During the semifinal playoff series against Molot, Zubov was trusted with a penalty shot, which he made, though his team still ended up losing the series. On the international arena, Ilya Zubov skated a couple of tournaments as the youngest member of the U18 ('86 born) Team Russia. In one tournament he replaced Evgeni Malkin, who skated for U20 Team Russia, as the center of the top line.

NHL Outlook:

Ilya Zubov was drafted by the Ottawa Senators 98th overall during the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. The young forward was widely recognized for possessing first round potential, but was really a victim of the transfer agreement row between Russia and the NHL. The talented young center was one of the top forwards out of Russia eligible for the draft, and deservingly was the first one to be picked. He possesses an impressive package of skill, hockey sense, natural ability and attitude. RussianProspects.com projected Zubov to be a "safe" first round pick, as he had shown a great attitude and a lot of maturity and ability. We stand by this assessment when comparing to how well he fared next to most other 87 born players out of Russia and in general. Zubov has the hockey sense and pure skill to be successful at the NHL level if he can learn to thrive on the smaller ice surface.